'A long time coming': Saskatchewan’s look at the now-rejected Doctrine of Discovery
After demands stretched for years and years, the formally repudiated “Doctrine of Discovery,” has been officially rejected by the Vatican.
In Saskatchewan, the news spread quickly, with Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) Chief Bobby Cameron calling it “a long time coming.”
“It gives us more solid, concrete evidence that the lands, waters and resources never belonged to the federal government, nor the provincial government — they belong to our First Nation people,” Cameron told CTV News Thursday morning.
A Vatican statement Thursday morning said the 15th-century papal bulls, or decrees, “did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples” and have been rather considered expressions of the Catholic faith.
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Regina Donald Bolen said the Vatican had reversed its position back in 1537 after it received word how the Indigenous populations were suffering, were marginalized and oppressed.
“The Vatican stated strongly at that point, that Indigenous peoples have rights, whether they are Christian or not, have rights to their land, and should not be taken away. And so from the Church's perspective, these political statements have been revoked a long, long time ago — but we heard the request to make that very clear. I think that's what this statement does,” Bolen said.
So, what comes next?
Chief Cameron said there are multiple options FSIN will look towards, which will also include the opinions of individual nations themselves.
“Obviously, some of them are going to be [dealing with] lands and resources, and our animals as well … the fact that the archives and the artifacts are still in the Vatican, for those to be returned, and for those survivors who weren’t properly compensated, and even those who haven’t been compensated [to be compensated] … we’re going to continue to push,” said Cameron.
He said there were many emotions this morning, including tears throughout the FSIN Thursday.
“We have remained consistent, we have remained vocal in our position against the Vatican,” he said. “There were many that felt satisfaction … there were many that prayed, in the end, we’re going to continue to do what we can, to do anything we can, to support those survivors, descendants and all those families,” he said.
Looking to the future, Bolen explained the next steps for the Church.
“[To] really to work on a local level and build relations with First Nations communities. Trying to prove ourselves a trustworthy ally, listening deeply to their concerns and their needs and finding out where we can be an ally in that pursuit of justice,” the Archbishop said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.